The Jealous Type
by fanficgirl142
Summary: Troy and Gabriella Bolton live in New Mexico with their 13 year old daughter, Jennifer. What happens when tragedy strikes their family and one of the gang members caused it? TROYELLA with Chaylor, Zekepay and Jelsi.
1. Chapter 1

13 year old Jennifer Bolton was outside in her backyard, shooting hoops. Much like her father, 35 year old Troy Bolton, she was on the East Middle Girls Basketball team. She was usually outside practicing or just shooting hoops for fun.

"Jen, time for dinner!" Her mother, 34 year old Gabriella Bolton, called from the back porch.

"One more shot, please mom?" Jen begged, not wanting to go in for dinner.

Gabriella shook her head and sighed. "Just like your father." She mumbled to herself. "One shot and that's it." Jen did a lay-up and put the ball next to the court. Once inside, Jen washed her hands and sat at the table.

"Mom, where's dad?" She asked.

Gabriella walked in and sat down next to Jennifer. "He's at a meeting for the basketball team at the high school. He said that he should be home a bit later than usual." Gabriella answered, taking a bite of her mac and cheese. Jen just shrugged and took a bite too.

When they finished dinner, Jen and Gabriella cleaned up their dishes and put some leftovers for Troy on a plate. As soon as that was done, Jen went right back outside and grabbed the ball and practiced more.

About ten minutes later, a dark red truck pulled into the Bolton's driveway. Troy turned the car off and stepped out. The meeting had gone later than expected, and he was wiped out. He walked around to the front when he heard the sound of a ball on pavement. A basketball to be exact.

He walked through the gate that led to their backyard. When he opened it, he saw his daughter practicing her favorite sport. He walked up behind her and decided to have a little fun with this.

"Shouldn't you be doing homework?" He suddenly asked.

Jennifer jumped and dropped her ball. "Dad! You scared me!" She replied, putting a hand to her heart.

Troy chuckled. "You should have seen what I did to your mother back in high school." He replied, walking towards the back porch. Jen followed him into their house.

"What did you do?" She asked curiously.

Troy thought for a moment. "Lets just say it involved me, her, and a ton of flying papers." Jen was confused.

"Whatever you say, dad." She shrugged and walked up the stairs into her room.

Gabriella was sitting in the living room with papers surrounding her. Troy leaned against the wall. Gabriella noticed her husband walking in and decided to ask a question.

"What involved a ton of flying papers?" She asked, looking up from her paper that she was grading. She was the 11th grade chemistry teacher, and she was grading all of her classes' tests. Troy was the gym teacher and varsity basketball coach. He took over that job when his dad, Jack Bolton, retired.

"The time a scared you in high school." Troy smiled. Gabriella chuckled at the memory.

**FLASHBACK**

_A 17 year old Gabriella Montez stood at her locker talking to her best friends, Taylor McKessie and Sharpay Evans. Gabriella and Sharpay became friends after the whole Lava Springs incident. _

"_So Gabs, are you busy this Friday?" Taylor asked._

_  
"I don't think so. I think Troy has family coming over to his house Friday and all weekend. Why?" Gabriella replied. While she was saying this, Troy was sneaking up behind her with a hairy glove that went to a werewolf costume on his right hand. He put a finger to his lips so Sharpay and Taylor knew not to tell Gabriella he was coming up behind her. _

"_Just wondering. Maybe we could-" Taylor said, but quickly cut off by a scream. Troy placed his hand on her shoulder and when she saw what it was, she screamed._

_Troy laughed at Gabriella's reaction. Her reaction was much more than a scream. She was holding various papers for her next class, and they all flew when she jumped. Gabriella recognized his laugh and turned around._

"_Troy Alexander Bolton! I can't believe you would do that!" She said, putting her hand to her heart._

"_It was funny though! Do you forgive me?" He asked, pouting._

_Gabriella pretended to think. "I suppose." She replied and they leaned in for a kiss._

**END FLASHBACK**

"Good times." Troy said, smiling. Gabriella nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Will you go check on Jen and see if she started her homework? All she's been doing today is playing basketball." She asked, turning her attention back to the papers in front of her.

"Yeah. Be right back." Troy jogged up the stairs. When he reached the top, he walked to his daughter's room and knocked on the door. He heard a faint "Come in!" and opened the door and walked in.

"Did you start your homework yet?" He asked, sitting next to Jen on her bed.

"Yep. I finished it right after school." She replied.

"Cool. You want to play one-on-one?" Troy asked, grinning. Jen perked up and ran to the door.

"You're going down, dad!" She said and ran down the stairs. Troy chuckled at her eagerness and ran down after her. They passed the living room and Gabriella saw them running.

"Where are you two going?" She shouted.

"B-ball!" They both answered and ran outside to the basketball court.

After playing for an hour and a half, Troy went inside to get them some drinks. While he was gone, somebody snuck up behind Jen and covered her mouth so she wouldn't scream.

"You don't want to scream, Jen." A familiar voice said. She knew that voice. It was…

_Uncle Ryan?!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Uncle Ryan?!_

Questions were racing through her mind. _"What is he doing? Why is he doing this?"_ Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt him dragging her somewhere. The only thing was, where was he dragging her?

**WITH TROY**

Troy was in the kitchen getting some Gatorade for him and Jen. When he walked out, he didn't see her.

"Jen? I have your drink!" He called out. But nothing or anybody moved. This is when he started getting worried. "If you're playing a joke, consider yourself grounded!" He said. Nobody answered. He ran inside to see if she was there.

"Jen!?" He shouted through the house. This got Gabriella's attention. She walked up to Troy.

"Why are you calling Jen? I thought she was outside with you?"

Troy ran a hand through his hair. "That's what I thought, too. She's not outside. Did she come in?" He asked.

Gabriella shook her head. Her eyes got wide.

"Troy, you don't think…" She said.

"Let's just hope not." He ran outside again, with Gabriella right behind him.

**WITH JEN**

"Uncle Ryan, what are you doing?!" She asked. They were now in his SUV to an unknown place.

"Doing what?" He asked casually.

"Kidnapping me!" She replied, annoyed.

"It's quite simple. I should be the one married to your mother, not you father! It all started the summer of our junior year at my family's country club," He explained. "I was winning your mother's heart while your father was being brainwashed by my sister for a stupid scholarship. And what happens? He finally realizes what he was doing and your mother forgave him! That's when it all started. I was the one, sitting alone watching your parents flirt non-stop. It killed me inside!" He explained, making a sharp turn into a familiar driveway. He got out of the car and slammed his door shut. Then he opened the backseat door and forcefully pulled Jen out of his car.

"And now, I'm getting revenge."

On the other hand, Troy and Gabriella were still looking for their daughter but as time passed, they didn't get any luck.

"Troy, maybe we should go get help. She's been missing for almost 30 minutes and we haven't found her, yet." Gabriella suggested, getting extremely worried.

Just then, Chad and the others showed up.

"Hey, guys!" Chad greeted.

"Oh, hey…" Troy greeted back bluntly, still thinking of where to find Jen.

"What's the matter?" Taylor asked.

"Well, Jen's been missing for almost 30 minutes and we've been looking everywhere for her but nothing. I'm starting to think she's been kidnapped or something…" Gabriella said.

"Kidnapped?!" They all exclaimed in unison.

"She was kidnapped?!" Zeke asked, astounded.

"On our way here, we saw Ryan's car leaving and Jen was in it." Taylor explained.

"Ryan?! Why didn't you stop him?!" Troy asked, getting frustrated.

"We didn't stop him because we thought you guys knew!" Chad said.

"Come to think of it, Ryan was leaving in haste earlier this afternoon, looking like he was going to kill someone. I asked him where he was going, and he just said he was going to finish some business." Sharpay explained, as everyone got wide eyes.

"You don't think…?" Gabriella trailed off.

"Well, my brother HAS always had a thing for you. And I guess he got frustrated when you married Troy." Sharpay said to Gabriella.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?!" Gabriella asked.

"I didn't know he would stoop this low! Now, come on!" Sharpay said.

"I swear to God, if he touches one single strand of my daughter's hair, I'm going to kick his ass." Troy said, as he grabbed Gabriella's hand and ran towards the car. Sharpay, Taylor and Chad were in the same car as Troy and Gabriella, while Jason, Zeke and Kelsi were all in another, following closely behind them.

The battle has just begun…


	3. Chapter 3

After being dragged into the house, Ryan locked her in a closet with her hands tied behind her back. Currently, she was trying to escape.

"_If only there was something to cut these ropes with…"_ She thought. After what felt like forever, she found a sharp object and cut the ropes. She turned the doorknob and opened the door. Jen saw that Ryan wasn't there.

"My chance to escape." She said to herself and made her way to the front door. When she came to it, she opened it to reveal a very surprised Ryan.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He shouted at her, walking in and slamming the door behind him.

"Um…getting fresh air?" Jen tried, but knew he wouldn't buy it.

"Really? Because it looked like you were trying to run away!" Ryan said, grabbing her arm and once again dragging her to the closet.

"Well, if you were getting kidnapped, you'd want to get away!" She yelled, and hoped somebody heard that. If they did, they could call the cops or her parents.

"You're not getting away." He sneered, throwing her back in the closet. Her head hit something and darkness overtook her.

**With the Gang**

Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, and Sharpay were driving down the street with everyone following them. Troy was driving with Chad in the passenger seat and the girls were in the back. Gabriella was trying to hold back tears, but sometimes failing to do so.

Taylor broke the silence. "So where exactly are we going?" She asked, looking at everybody. Then she looked at her husband. She and Chad had gotten married a year after Troy and Gabriella and had a son named Jake. Jason and Kelsi were currently engaged and their wedding was in a few months. Sharpay and Zeke just celebrated their 1 month anniversary for their wedding.

Chad glanced back at Sharpay. "Shar, do you have any ideas where Ryan might have taken Jen?" He asked.

She thought a moment. "Maybe check out his house. If she's not there, you can at least ask him if he knows where she is." Sharpay said.

"Oh yeah, because he's going to tell us where Jen is when he's the one who kidnapped her!" Chad shot at Sharpay.

"Well, I don't see you coming up with any ideas, Einstein!"

**In the Other Car**

Zeke was driving the car while following Troy and the others. Jason was beside him and Kelsi was sitting in the middle seat of the backseat, but leaning on the two front seats so she could talk to the boys better.

"Why would he do something like this?" Jason wondered.

Zeke shook his head. "I don't know. He must be jealous or something of Troy and Gabby. But if she's anything like Troy, she'll escape." He said, still following the car ahead of them.

"Yeah, and she's like Troy's twin. She's such a daddy's girl. It's so sweet." Kelsi said, smiling.

"I agree. She plays basketball, did a few plays back in elementary school, and has his same habits. And when I say habits, I mean that she'll get out. Jen will put up a fight for anything." Jason said.

Zeke glanced over at him. "You know dude, that's probably the smarted thing I have ever heard you say in my entire life."

Everyone laughed, including Jason. Then they focused more on the current situation.

For the rest of the ride in both cars, it was silent. After what felt like forever, the gang arrived at Ryan's house. His SUV was still in the driveway and the lights were on. Everyone got out of the cars and went up to the door.

Troy knocked on the door. Ryan opened it.

"Why hello guys. What can I do for you?" He asked.

"I want to know where my daughter is, Evans." Troy said angerly.

"What do you mean where she is? Do you think I would know?" Ryan smirked.

Troy grabbed his collar and pinned him up against the doorframe. "You know where she is, Evans! You're the one who took her!!!" He shouted.

"It might be that, or it might be that you're a horrible parent, which you are." Ryan sneered.

Troy put his hand up to punch him. "You as-"

"Troy! Don't touch him!" Gabriella exclaimed. She was still crying. Troy put his hand down and stared at him, finally letting him go.

"I'm watching you Evans." He said, going to stand beside Gabriella. "Come on Gabs, let's go try and find her."

Gabriella nodded and she, Chad, and Taylor made their way over to the car.

"Are you coming Shar?" Taylor asked.

Sharpay shook her head. "No. I'll just have Ryan drive me home." She said. Then she walked over to Zeke and kissed him. "I'll be home later honey." She said.

"Okay, I'll see you later. I love you."

"I love you too." She said and everyone left. She turned to Ryan.

"Are you stupid? They know that you kidnapped her!" She shouted at him.

"Now Shar, don't you remember our deal? You don't tell them I have her until she's dead."

"You're going to kill her?!" Sharpay exclaimed.

"What did you think I was going to do? Keep her until Gabriella realizes what a loser Bolton is?"

"Ry, she was never interested in you. You know that. Emma (one of the Sharpettes from HSM2) likes you! Why not date her instead of somebody who's been married for 14 years with a 13 year old!" She said.

"Listen, I don't like Emma. I love Gabriella. I should be married to her, not Bolton! And now, I'm getting revenge."


	4. Chapter 4

When they finished looking for Jen for the night, everyone went their separate ways to their homes. Troy was currently sitting on his bed, silently crying.

_Flashback_

_A 4 year old Jen Bolton was playing outside with the toy stroller and her baby dolls outside in the Bolton's backyard. The stroller and dolls were a present from her father for her birthday that was a few months ago. She was happily walking around, pushing her toy. She felt like a big girl when she did this. All of a sudden, her stroller stopped moving because it was stuck in a small hole._

_She started pushing harder so it would start to move forward again. Then suddenly, she fell forwards onto her stomach and looked up. Her toy was leaning to the right. She got up and went to inspect it. Jen noticed the front right wheel wasn't on, but it was a few inches away from the stroller._

_She started to cry and picked up the wheel. Then she walked towards the house where Troy was sitting on a bar stool that went with the island in the kitchen. He was talking to his life long best friend, Chad._

"_Yeah, and he said that-" He started to say into the phone when he saw his sad daughter, who had his blue eyes and Gabriella's dark brown hair._

"_Chad, I'll call you back." He said and hung up. Then he went up and kneeled down so he was at Jen's height._

"_What's the matter princess?" He asked._

_She sniffled. "I broke it." She showed him the wheel she was holding. "I'm sorry, daddy."_

_Troy's heart melted on the inside. She was so sweet and innocent, and she looked like she did something horrible. "It's okay, princess. Let's go fix it." He said and picked her up. They made their way to the backyard where the broken stroller was. Troy sat Jen down beside it and went over to get a tool. He got down and put the wheel back on._

"_Thank you Daddy!" She said, smiling and giving him a hug._

"_Anything for my princess."_

_End Flashback_

Troy sighed. How he missed those days, where they would have those special father-daughter bonding moments. His thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

"Hun, are you okay?" Gabriella asked, coming into the room and sitting next to him.

"Honestly Gab, I don't know. I mean, our daughter was kidnapped!" He exclaimed, more tears rolling down his face.

"Troy, I know how you feel. But we'll find her. Don't worry." Gabriella said.

"I know." He replied. "Remember her first day of school?"

Gabriella smiled at the memory.

_Flashback_

_Troy and Gabriella were walking towards East Elementary School to drop off a 5 year old Jen._

"_Daddy, I don't wanna go!" She cried and held on to her father._

"_Jen sweetie, you have to." Gabriella insisted._

"_No!"_

"_How about when you get home, we go out for ice cream?" Troy said with a smile._

_Jen smiled. "Really?" Troy nodded. "Okay!"_

"_We'll see you after school sweetie! Have a great day!" Gabriella said. The kindergarten teacher was standing at the front of the school with the class _**(A/N: That's what they do at my old school)**_. Jen hugged both of her parents one more time._

"_Bye mommy! Bye daddy!" She said, and went inside with her teacher and classmates._

_Gabriella sniffled. "Troy, she's growing up."_

"_I know, but she'll always be our little girl."_

_End Flashback_

"Where do you think she is?" Gabriella asked.

"I think Ryan has her. When we were at his house, he had this smirk on that he couldn't wipe off of his face. Although I could have wiped it off for him," He chuckled. He stopped when Gabriella gave him a look. "But still, you have to admit that."

She nodded. "Yeah, but why would he want to kidnap her?"

"He's probably jealous of what we have and he doesn't. I mean, he didn't have a date for any of the high school dances, he always was flirting with you in high school, and that summer of Junior Year, he was getting pretty close to you." He said.

"That's true."

"What? Him getting pretty close to you?"

"No. When he flirted with me. When you weren't around, that is." She replied.

"That's good to know, I think. We better get to bed." Troy said. Gabriella nodded.

"Okay." She said. They got into their pajamas and got into bed. "Goodnight Troy. I love you."

"I love you too." And with that, they fell asleep.

**WITH SHARPAY**

Sharpay was pacing around her and Zeke's bedroom.

"What if he does kill her? Should I tell somebody? If I did, who would I tell? Should I get her out of there myself? This is so complicated!" She thought aloud. She was actually happy for Troy and Gabriella, unlike Ryan.

"Shar?" Zeke interrupted her thoughts and pacing when he walked into the room. "Are you okay?"

She forced a smile. "Yeah, just thinking." She said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." She replied, still forcing a smile.

Zeke nodded. "Okay, if you're sure. Do you want to try out this new recipe?" He asked.

"Of course I would!" She squealed, and they made their way into the kitchen.

**WITH RYAN**

Ryan opened the closet door and revealed Jen sleeping. He woke her up by saying, "Hey, kid! Wake up!" And throwing a plastic plate of food before her.

"Eat." He commanded.

"Why would I do that?" Jen asked.

"Because I'm telling you to do it." Ryan said, menacingly.

"No." Jen said, turning her head away from him.

"Why not?!" Ryan asked, getting frustrated.

"How should I know what kind of poison you mixed in that, you psycho!!?" Jen spat at him.

Ryan got even more frustrated and knelt down to face her and gripped her by the jaw.

"Listen here, you little brat!" He started, but Jen cut him off.

"Get your dirty hands off me!" She yelled, tilting her head away from his grip, but Ryan gripped her again.

"Your parents have already done enough damage with me and trust me. You don't wanna be the one to add more. Now, do as I say, or die." Ryan threatened, walking out of the closet and locking the door behind him.

"'Do as I say or die.' Yeah right… he's never gonna match up to my dad, anyway." Jen imitated, rolling her eyes as she caught sight of the food Ryan left there and kicking it.

**WITH TAYLOR AND CHAD**

"Something's not right here." Taylor said.

"I know. Ryan has to have Jen. And with Ryan, I know nothing good will come out of this." Chad said, thinking.

"Chad, we gotta do something." Taylor said.


	5. Chapter 5

"But what are we going to do?" Chad asked.

"I don't know right now, but we'll think of something." She replied and they went to sleep.

**Next Day at East High**

Troy slowly walked into the gym the next morning for work. When he walked in, he saw the Wildcat's basketball team in there practicing and Chad coaching. Chad had taken the job to co-coach the team with Troy. Chad saw Troy walking in and jogged over to him.

"Hey man, you okay?" He asked. Troy just glared at him and continued walking to his office. Chad sighed and walked over to the team.

"Yo Coach D, what's wrong with Coach?" Noah, one team member asked.

"Well, last night, something happened," Chad began. "Jen was kidnapped."

"WHAT?!" The team shouted, all of their expressions shocked and somewhat angry. Jen was like their second team mascot and she always wanted to hang out during practice.

"What do you mean she was kidnapped?!" John, the captain of the team, exclaimed. John was a great player and a lot like Troy.

"Who did it?" Jake, another team member asked. He was a lot like Jason. The team looked at him weirdly. At that moment, Troy walked onto the court with his whistle.

"Come on guys, let's start practice!" He called out. The team immediately went to practice.

**With Taylor**

After she and Chad had Jake, Taylor decided to be a stay at home mom. That way, she could clean the house without any disruptions and have a bit of peace and quiet. She was doing dishes when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Tay, it's Shar. Do you think you could meet me at Starbucks on 5th Ave?"

"Yeah, I can do that? When do you want to meet?"

"Do you think you could head there now? I'm already here, and I need to tell you something."

"Yeah, I'll be right over. I'll talk to you in a little bit."

"Okay, thanks. Bye."

"Bye." She said and hung up. After that, she grabbed her purse and headed out to meet Sharpay.

**At Starbucks**

About 10 minutes later, Taylor pulled her car into the Starbuck's small parking lot. She looked around and saw Sharpay's pink convertible. Then she walked in and saw Sharpay sitting by the window with Kelsi. She walked over.

"Hey girls!" She greeted and sat down in between Kelsi and Sharpay.

"Hey Tay." The said smiling.

"Listen, Taylor you know how I told you on the phone that I had something important to tell you?" Taylor nodded. "Well, this may come as a huge shocker." Sharpay said.

"I'll be the judge of that. What is it?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah, what is it?" Kelsi put in. Sharpay had told her the same thing over the phone.

Sharpay sighed and began. "I know who kidnapped Jen." Taylor and Kelsi gasped.

"Who did it?" Kelsi asked.

"Ryan. And that's not the worst part. The reason he kidnapped her is because he's jealous of Gabby and Troy and wants revenge."

"Why?" Taylor interrupted.

"Will you stop interrupting me?!" Sharpay snapped. They nodded. "Sorry. Anyways, as I said before, he's jealous of them. He's always had a thing for Gabby, and I guess he still does. So he kidnapped her. And he somehow looped me into it, but I didn't do anything. He just told me that he was going to do something, but I always thought that he was joking around. And he told me that he's going to um…he's going to…" She began stuttering.

The girls gave her a look to continue. "He's going to kill her soon." She whispered. They gasped.

"WHAT?!" They shouted and everyone in the store was looking at them.

"Nothing here, everything's fine." Taylor said and everyone shrugged and turned back to what they were doing previously.

"You have got to be kidding." Kelsi said. Sharpay shook her head.

"I'm afraid not. But we have to get her out of there. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that Ryan killed their only child." Sharpay said.

"We'll think of something." Taylor said. After that, they sat there brainstorming their ideas.

"Guys," Taylor broke the silence. "I think I have an idea." She said and told the girls her plan.

"I think that's a good idea. He won't suspect a thing." Sharpay commented.

Kelsi nodded in agreement. "Maybe you should tell Troy and Gabriella and let them know. And they might help out with it." She said.

"Yeah, we should. I'll go over to the school and tell them. See you girls later!" Taylor agreed and walked out. She got into her car and headed towards East High.

**With Jen**

Jen was looking around the closet she was locked in for something to escape with. So far, there was nothing.

"There has to be something…" She muttered to herself. Then she put her hand on the floor and felt something under it.

"What's this?" She asked herself, hoping it was something that could help her escape. She grabbed it and took a look at it.

She gasped at what it was. "My phone! Perfect!" She smiled. She checked the battery and saw that she had 2 out of 4 bars on her phone for the battery **(A/N: My phone has 4 bars of battery, and 4 bars means it's full)**. She quickly thought of what she should do with it.

"_I could call 9-1-1 or something, but he might here me. Maybe I could text somebody...that's it! But who should I text? Maybe dad; that might be a good idea."_ She thought and began her text.

'_Dad, Ryan has me. I luv u.'_

She re-read it. "I think that should do." She said to herself and sent it.

**Meanwhile At East High**

The team had just finished their early morning practice, and Troy and Chad were in the gym discussing plays for the season.

"I think we should definitely do this play." Troy said, looking at his clipboard that had a few papers on it.

"Yeah," Chad agreed. "I think we should also do-"He was interrupted when the door flew open and Taylor ran though headed for the two men.

"Troy…go…get…Gabby…important…" She said in between breaths.

"Why? What's up?" He asked.

"Just go get her! I'll tell you when you guys get back here. Go!" Taylor said and Troy walked out to get Gabriella from her classroom.

"Hun, what's wrong?" Chad asked, concerned.

"Well-" Taylor began to say when they were interrupted when Troy's phone rang. Chad went to pick it up and stared at it wide-eyed.

"What?" Taylor asked and looked at the screen. It said: "New Txt Message: Jen"

"That means she's still alive! Yes!" Taylor said. Chad looked at her weirdly. At that same moment, Troy and Gabriella walked into the gym.

"Who's still alive?" Gabriella asked as she and Troy walked over to the couple.

Taylor sighed. "Listen, there's something _really_ important that you guys need to know. Sharpay said that she knows who kidnapped Jen. It's Ryan. He did it."

"Are you serious?!" Troy, Gabriella, and Chad exclaimed. Taylor nodded.

"Yeah, but there's something else. He's going to kill her. And-" Taylor said but was interrupted by Troy.

"He's going to kill her?! That son of a b-"

"Troy! Shush! Now what were you going to say, Taylor?" Gabriella said.

"The reason she's still alive is because she just text messaged you." Taylor said and handed Troy his phone. He read the text message:

'_Dad, Ryan has me. I luv u.'_

"Oh my gosh…" Troy whispered. Gabriella looked at the phone wide-eyed.

"Now what are we going to do?" Chad asked.

Taylor smiled. "Me, Shar, and Kelsi have already thought of that. Here's what we're going to do…"


	6. Chapter 6

"Do you really think that's going to work?" Gabriella asked after Taylor explained the plan.

"Yeah, and do you think we can trust Sharpay with this?" Chad added.

"Guys, if she was the one who wanted to help, let alone tell us where she is, I think we can trust her." Taylor said.

Troy nodded. "So you're going to start it tonight, right?"

"Yeah. I'm going to go home and start getting ready, so I'll talk to you later." Taylor replied and walked out of the gym.

"This is crazy." Chad said.

"It is. Let's just hope their plan goes smoothly. If not, I don't wanna know what will happen." Gabriella replied. "Well, I better get back to my class. I'll see you two later." She kissed Troy on the cheek and walked out of the gym.

**With Jen**

Right after she texted her dad, Ryan opened the closet door and saw her with the cell phone.

"What are you holding?!" He demanded. Jen jumped and quickly put the phone behind her back.

"Uh…n-nothing." She stuttered.

"Really?" He pulled the phone out from behind her. "Then explain this. What were you doing?!"

"I told you, nothing!" She said, a bit more confident. But, she knew this wouldn't turn out good.

"I told you that you didn't want to add more damage onto what your parents have," Ryan said and grabbed her arm and gripped it tight. "But you just pushed me to do something I've been waiting to do."

"A-and wh-what's that?" Jen asked, scared.

"Kill you." He said and began to punch and kick her everywhere.

**With Taylor**

Taylor arrived home and began to get ready for their plan. After getting ready, which didn't take very long, she called Sharpay to tell her that they were going to do it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Shar, it's Taylor. I wanted to tell you that we're going to do it."

"Really? Did you talk with Troy and Gabby?"

"Yeah, and while we were talking Jen texted Troy."

"Oh my goodness! Are you serious?!"

"Yeah, and they agreed that we should definitely do it. So do you want to do what your supposed to do?"

"I will soon. Zeke and I are going out today. Actually, I better go get ready, so I'll call you and tell you when to come over."

"Okay, sounds good. Have a good time!"

"I will! Bye Tay."

"Bye."

She said and hung up. She sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. The plan was that Taylor would pretend to have a fight with Chad and ask Ryan if she could stay over at his house for the night. Sharpay would be there too so that she could distract Ryan while Taylor got Jen out of the house. The only way that they could think of was that she would put Jen in her huge suitcase and take her out to the car and tell Ryan that she and Chad weren't fighting anymore. Then she would go home with Jen and all would be well.

**A Few Hours Later, Taylor's house (around 8:00PM)**

Troy, Gabriella, Taylor, Chad, Jake, Jason, and Kelsi were gathered in the Danforth's living room. Kelsi had explained everything to Jason when she got home from Starbuck's and he had the same shocked expression as Troy, Gabriella, and Chad had. Nobody was talking, just sitting or standing in the silence. Sharpay was going to call Taylor to tell her when to start over to Ryan's house.

The ringing of a phone interrupted the silence. All eyes were on Taylor as she made her way to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"You can come over now, Taylor. He said he's fine with you staying here for the night." Sharpay's voice said through the phone.

Taylor nodded even though she couldn't see it on the other line. "Okay, I'll be right over."

"I'm already here, so I'll see you when you get here."

"Okay. Bye."

Taylor said and hung up. She looked at her friends, but looked at Troy and Gabriella the longest. "That was Shar. She said I should start over." She said.

"Okay. I'll miss you hun." Chad replied and gave her a long hug and a kiss on the cheek. They broke away and Taylor turned to her son.

"Bye mom. Good luck." He said as they hugged. Taylor broke away and went up to Troy and Gabriella.

"Don't worry guys, she's alright. She'll be back here tomorrow, safe and sound." She said.

"I know." Gabriella said. "It's just I still don't know why he would do this. And thanks again, Tay. Good luck."

"Yeah, thanks so much. I mean, if it wasn't for you girls, we'd probably still be thinking of what to do." Troy added and he and Taylor shared a quick hug. After that, she walked out of the house and put her suitcase into the truck.

"_Here goes nothing…"_

**At Ryan's House**

Sharpay had called Ryan right after he had finished slapping, kicking, and punching Jen. She told him that Chad and Taylor got into a major argument, and she needed to spend a night or two at a friend's house. She also said that Taylor had called everyone, and Sharpay offered that she could stay at Ryan's house. Just great. Right now, he and Sharpay were in the living room, waiting for Taylor to arrive.

"_If she finds Jen in that closet, I'll be dead. I should have just told Shar that she couldn't come!"_ He thought. His thoughts were interrupted when the doorbell rang. He got up from where he was sitting and answered it. When he opened the door, it revealed Taylor with a large suitcase.

"Hey Taylor." He greeted. "Come on in."

Taylor stepped inside and wheeled her suitcase behind her.

"Hey Ryan. Thanks so much for letting me stay here. Chad was just being his idiotic self and kinda ticked me off." She said.

"No problem. Do you want to put your suitcase in the guest room?" She smiled and nodded. "Okay. It's right over here." He said and they walked into the living room.

"Hey Shar." Taylor said with a smile.

"Hey Taylor!" She squealed and hugged her.

Sharpay whispered in her ear. "I'll get him out of the house and you can get her." Taylor nodded.

"Okay."

Ryan broke the moment. "Do you want me to put that in your room?" He asked.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks." She replied. Ryan took her suitcase and walked into the guest room.

"Do you want some ice cream? We can have a little sleepover if you want." Sharpay asked.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Taylor replied. They got some ice cream and sat down in the living room and watched "The Notebook". But both were thinking about what would happen tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7

After finishing their movie, the girls headed to bed. Taylor went to the guest room while Sharpay went to her room that she had at his house and fell asleep.

**Next Day: Saturday (Around 8:30AM)**

Ryan, Sharpay, and Taylor were in the kitchen eating breakfast in a semi-awkward silence. Sharpay and Taylor kept glancing at each other, and Ryan was watching their every move. Taylor broke the silence.

"So where are you two going today?" She asked.

"We're going to go to see a play. I think its 'Hairspray' or something." Sharpay answered.

Ryan nodded. "Yep, that's the one."

"Cool."

The rest of breakfast was silent. Sharpay looked over at the clock and saw it was about 9:05.

"We better get going if we want to beat the crowd. It starts around 11, and the theater probably an hour away from here." Sharpay said.

"Yeah, your right. Let's get going." Ryan replied. "Oh, and Taylor? Are you sure you don't want to come with us? It would be a lot of fun if you did." He offered. He just didn't want her to look in that closet and find Jen.

"I'm sure, Ry. Thanks anyway though. Me and Gabby are going shopping so I can forget about what an idiot Chad is." Taylor lied. That gave her an excuse so she wouldn't go with them and get Jen out.

"Okay, if you're sure." He said and put on his jacket. "We'll see you later, Tay."

"Yeah, bye Tay Tay!" Sharpay gave a small wave and they left.

Taylor sighed. _"Where would he keep her? Shar said that she wasn't in the basement. Where could she be?"_ She thought. Then, she thought of something.

She made her way to the closet that was down the hall from Ryan's bedroom. She opened the door and gasped at the sight in front of her.

**At the Bolton's**

Since it was Saturday, both Troy and Gabriella had the day off from work. Troy was sitting at the island in their kitchen and Gabriella was pacing back and forth in front of him.

"What if she's not there? What if we were wrong about Ryan having her? What if he killed her? What if she was taken out of the county? What if-"

"Gabriella!" Troy said. She stopped pacing and looked at him. When she didn't answer, he spoke up. "She's fine, don't worry. And yes, Ryan took her. Sharpay told us last night, and she texted me and said that Ryan has her. No, she isn't out of the country. Sharpay said she was at Ryan's house. And she's not dead. Taylor's going to find her, bring her home, and we'll forget this ever happened, okay? Stop worrying."

She sighed. "I know, but there are so many 'what-ifs' I can't count. But do you really think she's okay?" She asked, uncertain. Troy got up and hugged her.

"Gabs, she's okay. She's a fighter, and she wouldn't let some creep hurt her. Like I said, don't worry." Troy soothed. Gabriella relaxed in his arms.

"Okay. Thanks Troy." Gabriella said. Then suddenly, she had the urge to throw up. She quickly got out of the hug and made her way to the bathroom and bent down over the toilet and threw up. Troy ran right behind her and held her hair up.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

"I think so. That was weird. I'm not sick and I threw up." Gabriella said. She got up and cleaned her mouth.

"You're right, that is weird. Maybe you should go to the doctors and see what's wrong." Troy suggested.

"Yeah, maybe I should." She agreed. But, she already had an idea. Then, the phone rang.

"I'll get it." He offered and left to answer the phone. She got up and walked out of the bathroom and went downstairs where she heard Troy talking on the phone.

(**Troy/**_**Chad**_)

**Hello?**

_**Hey buddy! I was wondering if you wanted to go play ball at the gym. You in?**_

**I don't know, man. Gabby just threw up and I want to make sure she's okay.**

_**Seriously? Well tell her that I said to get better. We can't have her sick at a time like this! **_

**Uh…right.**

_**So are you coming or not?**_

**Let me tell her real quick. Hold on.**

Troy took the phone from his ear and held it beside him. He was about to go tell his wife upstairs but turned around to find that she was right behind him and jumped.

"Woah. Don't scare me like that again." He chuckled.

She giggled. "Sorry. So what does Chad want?" She asked.

"He was wondering if I wanted to go down to the gym and shoot some hoops. But I don't want to leave you here alone by yourself after you just threw up." Troy explained.

"Go with Chad and I'll call Kelsi and we can hang out. Plus, you need to get some sun. You're pale." Gabriella joked.

"I'll get you back for that." He jokingly threatened.

**What time are you guys going?**

_**In about 5 minutes. So are you coming or what?**_

**Yeah, I'm coming. I'll drive over and meet you guys there.**

_**Okay, sounds good. I'll see you there. Later dude.**_

**See ya.**

Troy hung up the phone. "Are you ready for payback?" He smirked.

Gabriella's eyes got wide. "Oh no you wouldn't." She said.

"Oh yes I would." He answered and began to tickle her.

"TROY! STOP IT!" She shouted in between laughs.

"Say it."

"Never!"

"Then I'm never going to stop."

"Fine! Just stop tickling me and I'll say it!" She said and he stopped tickling her.

"Well?"

"Okay, okay. Troy Bolton is the most wonderful and handsomest husband on the face of the planet. Happy?" She said.

"Yep. I'd better get ready if I don't want to be late." Troy said and went upstairs to get his gym stuff. About two minutes later he came back down with his gym bag and in his workout clothes.

**With Taylor**

She opened the door and gasped at the sight before her.

Jen's shirt was red from the blood, she had a large cut on the side of her face, there were bruises all over her body, and she was barely breathing and unconscious. Taylor knelt down beside her and checked her pulse. It was faint, but there was still one.

She gently shook her. "Jen honey, wake up." She cooed. Jen moved a little and let out a small moan.

"Come on Jen sweetie. Wake up."

Jen opened her eyes slightly. "Aunt T…Tay…" She tried to say, but Taylor shushed her.

"Don't talk. Are you okay?" She asked. Jen gave her a look that said, 'What do you think?'

"Sorry, stupid question."

"Am I going to get out of here?" Jen whispered.

Taylor nodded. "We're going to get you out right now."


	8. Chapter 8

"What are you going to do?" She asked.

"Well, are you up to taking a ride in a suitcase?"

"Why?"

"Because that way we can sneak you out of here without Ryan knowing and then we'll go to our house and get your parents over-" Taylor explained until Jen interrupted her.

"My parents? How are they?" Jen wondered.

"They're worried out of their minds about you. And they miss you like crazy." Taylor said. "And we better get out of here before he comes back home. If he knew what we were doing, he'd probably kill all of us."

And with that, Taylor helped Jen get to the suitcase and finally back home.

**With the Boys at the Gym**

The guys had been at the gym for about half an hour now, playing two-on-two. It was Troy and Zeke vs. Chad and Jason. Currently, Chad and Jason's team was winning by 2 points.

"Okay, next shot wins. Unless we tie it, that is." Troy announced. Everyone agreed and they went into play.

"Zeke! I'm open!" Troy called out to his partner from the other side of the court. Zeke saw him and passed him a full-court pass and he caught it. Troy stood right behind the 3 point line and shot. Of course, it went in.

"YES!" Troy and Zeke yelled, giving each other a high five. Chad and Jason walked over.

"Nice game, Bolton. Didn't know you had it in you." Chad said and patted his shoulder. Troy was about to say something but Chad's phone rang.

"Sorry, let me get that. It might be Tay."

He ran over to his bag and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"…"

"You did? That's awesome!"

"…"

"But what?"

"…"

"He did what now?" This got everyone's attention, especially Troy's. They walked over and listened.

"Put her on speaker." Troy said. Chad nodded and put her on speaker.

"Tay, you're on speaker. Do you mind repeating everything you just said?"

_(Taylor)_

_Sure, I will. So I found Jen and-_

"Seriously? Oh my goodness! Is she okay? Did he do anything to her? Is she-" Troy interrupted.

_Yes! Well, no. Stop interrupting! As I was saying, I found her, but she doesn't look so swell. She said Ryan caught her texting Troy and started punching and kicking her. And-"_

"I'm going to kill him." Troy said through clenched teeth and started to gather his things.

_Don't do anything yet. We're on our way to our house, so meet us there._

"Got it. We'll be right over." Chad said and ended the call. Jason and Zeke gathered their things and everyone headed to their cars and left for the Danforth's house.

**With Gabriella**

Gabriella was reading her favorite book for the twentieth time when the phone rang. She set the book down and answered it.

(**Gabi **/ _Troy_)

**Hello?**

_Gabs, can you go outside right now?_

**Um, yeah, I guess. Why?**

_Because I'm picking you up so we can go over to Chad's. And we have to go like right now._

**Why are we in such a rush to get over there?**

_I'll tell you once I pick you up. I don't want to tell you over the phone._

**Okay. I'm getting ready. Where are you now?**

_I just turned onto our street. I'll see you in a few._

**Okay. I love you.**

_Love you too, Gabs._

She hung up the phone and grabbed her keys and her jacket. Then she slipped on a pair of shoes and headed outside.

When she got outside, she saw Troy's truck turn into the driveway. She opened the door and got inside.

"Okay, is there an explanation?" She asked. He sighed.

"Before I say anything, don't interrupt." She nodded. "Okay, so Taylor found Jen, and she doesn't look too good. She called us while we were playing and we're going to meet her at their house. That's why I'm in such a hurry." He explained as they drove down the street in silence because Gabriella was too shocked to say anything. Chad and Taylor lived on the next block over, so it wasn't a long drive. As soon as Troy parked the car in front of their house, both he and Gabriella jumped out and ran towards the house.

**Inside**

Jen was laying on the couch while Taylor checked her over and Chad sat beside her.

"Where does it hurt?" Taylor asked.

"My whole body." Jen answered.

"Well, the bright side is that you're not over there!" Chad said and smiled.

"That's for sure." Jen agreed. "I haven't seen mom or dad for a few days and I am so hungry! I didn't eat any of the food he gave me because I thought it was poisoned." She said and Chad chuckled.

"Nice one." He remarked and they shared a high-five. Then the doorbell rang.

**Outside**

Troy and Gabriella were standing impatiently outside after ringing the doorbell. Who wouldn't be? They hadn't seen their daughter in days! 

Finally, Taylor answered the door. When she saw who was there, she just said,

"Living room."

That's all they needed. They ran through the door and into the living room. Troy was in front of Gabriella, anxious to see his daughter again. They stepped into the living room and saw Jen sitting on the couch with Chad, looking over herself.

"It's just a bit sore, it's not like-" She said to Chad until she heard her name.

"Jen?" She turned her attention to her mom and dad.

"Mom! Dad!" She exclaimed, running over to them but then stopped when she felt pain constrict in her side and legs.

"Oww, oww… bad idea… oww…" She said, gripping her sides and walking back to the couch.

Troy chuckled and Gabriella tearfully smiled as they walked over to her and enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Pain…! Everywhere…! Need…! Air…!" Jen exclaimed as Troy and Gabriella pulled away from her.

As soon as they pulled away, Jen let out a large breath and said, "And… nice to see you, too."

"Well, now that this whole fiasco is behind us, and everything's fine…" Chad began.

"Not quite." Taylor interrupted.

"We haven't really taken care of… him… and that psycho's still out there." Jen continued.

"What?!" Troy exclaimed.

"Well, we only managed to get out of there when Ryan and Sharpay left." Taylor said.

"And once they come back, and Ryan finds out… he's…" Gabriella trailed off.

"Oh, no…" They all said.

"Maybe it's best if--" Taylor was cut off by her cellphone ringing.

"Hello?"

"_Tay! We have a problem!" _Sharpay exclaimed from the other line.


	9. Chapter 9

"What's the problem?"

"_Well, Ryan and I just got back home, and he looked in the closet and she wasn't there, so now he's really mad and just left with a gun! Oh my god! Tay, this is really bad! What are we going to do? If he finds you guys, he'll kill you for sure!"_ Sharpay said, panicking.

"Shar, first of all, calm down. I'll tell Troy and Gabby and we'll think of something. How about you come over here for now and we'll figure something out."

"_Okay. I'll be over in a few minutes."_ She agreed and they said their goodbyes and hung up.

"What was that all about?" Gabriella asked.

"That was Sharpay. She said that Ryan figured out Jen was gone, and he left the house with a gun. He's probably out looking for you guys." Taylor answered and pointed at Troy, Gabriella, and Jen.

"When is this guy going to give up?" Jen groaned and leaned back on the couch.

"I don't know. We have to leave. It's the safest thing for us." Troy said, looking at everybody.

"Leave? Where would you go? Albuquerque isn't safe, so you guys probably couldn't stay over here." Chad pointed out.

"I have an idea!" Gabriella exclaimed and everyone looked at her. "We can go to my mom's house in San Diego. She'd be happy to let us stay for a while."

"That's a great idea, Gab. How about we go home and start packing and you can call her and tell her what's going on." Troy said.

"Okay. On that note, we better get going if we want to leave before he finds us. Thanks so much guys!" Gabriella said and gave both Taylor and Chad a hug.

"No problem. Now you get going and call us when you get there." Chad said.

"Okay."

Jen tried to stand up but her legs hurt too much. "Dad?" She asked, still sitting on the couch.

"What's up?" Troy asked, kneeling down so he was at her level.

"Do you think you could carry me? My legs are killing me and I don't think I can walk out to the car." She said and smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, no problem. Hop on kiddo." He said and she got on his back.

"Thanks dad." She said and the family made their way to the car.

Taylor and Chad stood by the porch and watched as Troy started the car. He glanced at them one more time before driving away.

"Be careful, guys!" Taylor called after them.

They were about to enter the house until Sharpay's pink convertible pulled up.

Sharpay frantically walked out of her car and walked over to Taylor and Chad.

"Where's Troy and Gabriella?" She asked.

"They left for San Diego after I told them about what you said," Taylor replied.

"Okay, good, good…"

"Come on, let's talk inside," Chad said, leading the two girls in but looked outside for Ryan before going in himself.

Once they were inside, Taylor and Chad sat on the couch and Sharpay sat on one of the smaller couches.

"So, what's the deal with Ryan? What exactly is he planning to do?" Chad asked.

"I don't know. But it can't be good," Sharpay replied.

"But seriously, he's taking things too far. I mean… dragging a 13-year-old kid into this?" Taylor appointed.

"I know… but what should we do?" Chad asked.

"What do you mean?" Sharpay asked.

"There's gotta be something we can do to help them! It's their lives in jeopardy here!"

With that, everything turned silent as everyone began to think.

"I know this is gonna sound stupid but… maybe I can try and convince Ryan," Sharpay said.

"Oh, yeah, that'd be great! 'Cause he has a gun and he's now on his way to kill Troy and Gabriella, not to mention their 13-year-old daughter and the only thing that can stop him is you," Taylor remarked, sarcastically.

"It's worth a shot," Sharpay said, bringing out her phone.

Meanwhile, Ryan was fuming in the driver's seat, throwing daggers at the stoplight, waiting for it to turn green when his phone rang.

He glanced over at his phone and saw Sharpay's name plastered on it.

"What?!" He answered.

"_Uhh… Ryan… are you sure you know what you're doing?" _Sharpay asked from the other line.

"What do you mean, 'are you sure you know what you're doing?'?! Of course I know what I'm doing! I've known what I'm doing ever since Gabriella married that bastard!" Ryan exclaimed.

"_Ryan, think about it. They're happy, now. Isn't that what matters? If Gabriella's happy, then you should be happy!" _Sharpay said.

"Well, do you see me going crazy about it?!"

"_I know, but, Ryan… you know there are still a lot of girls out there. For instance, Lea! She's had a crush on you since that summer at Lava Springs! And you know, I heard, she's still single," _Sharpay said.

"I don't care about your Sharpettes! I want Gabriella!" Ryan exclaimed as the stoplight turned green and he drove away.

"_For God's sake, Ryan! Gabriella's with Troy, now! And you're willing to sacrifice lives for your own benefit?! That's low, Ryan. And being low's MY JOB!!" _Sharpay exclaimed, getting frustrated.

"I don't care about that, Sharpay. Goodbye," Ryan said, not even waiting for her to say something and hung up.

Back with Taylor, Sharpay and Chad…

Sharpay groaned as she flipped her phone close and turned back to Taylor and Chad.

"Well that was a waste of cellphone battery," She said.

"Told you. I mean, do you really expect him to give up just because you told him to? Remember, he's not under your shadow anymore," Taylor explained.

"I miss those days…" Chad said, leaning back on the couch.

"But… we still have to do something. Ryan's my twin brother and I know for a fact that when he wants something, he'll stop at nothing to get it," Sharpay said as they all went back to thinking.

**WITH TROY, GABRIELLA AND JEN**

"_Well, if that's the case then, hurry and get here. We don't want anyone getting hurt, Gabby," _Gabriella's mom said.

"Yeah, okay, mom. We'll be there in about half an hour. Bye," Gabriella said.

"_Alright, bye, honey. And be careful,"_

"We will," Gabriella said, hanging up.

"So what did your mom say?" Troy asked, not taking his eyes off the road.

"She said she's ok with it and we better hurry before anyone gets hurt," Gabriella said.

"Do you think that psycho will ever give up?" Jen asked from out of the blue.

"Knowing Ryan, he'll do everything he can to get what he wants. Even if it means killing innocent people," Gabriella replied, wincing slightly on the last part.

Troy glanced at her for a few seconds before taking her hand in his and turning back to the road.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Hey, guys! **_SkyChasm_** here, reporting for duty! Yes, it really is me (for those of you who are familiar with my works). This is actually **_hsmgal142_**'s story; I'm only the co-writer - a really bad one at that for letting this story get delayed so much. Anyway, we just want to say, thank you for all those people who read this story and for being patient enough to put up with the delays. It was mostly my fault… ehehe… so the reason why it was delayed so much was that I, Angela, moved to a new place so I lost the internet for two weeks. And every time Abbey sends the file to me, it gets corrupted or it just doesn't work. I think my computer hates me.**

**So, anyway, we hope you guys understand our situation! This novel of an author's note is going to end now and I'll let you read the story. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Don't worry Gabby, it'll be okay." Troy comforted as he rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand.

She sighed. "I hope so."

**With Chad, Taylor, and ****Sharpay**

"I hope they're okay." Taylor said.

"Yeah, me too. I just can't help but think that it's partially my fault he took Jen and all of this jazz happened. If I just didn't go along with it and try to talk him out of it, none of this would have happened." Sharpay confessed, her eyes welling up with tears.

Taylor patted her shoulder. "Hon, it's not your fault. It's just he is, well, a bit crazy for doing what he did. I'm sure he'll think about everything and get over Gabriella."

"I don't think he will. Whenever Ryan wants something, he really wants it. And if he wants Gabby, he'll do anything to get her." Sharpay disagreed.

"Speaking of Ryan, look who just pulled up." Chad said, looking through the window. The girls walked up to the window and saw Ryan's car in the driveway and him getting out. And they noticed that something was in his pocket.

"What's he doing here? And what's in his pocket?" Taylor asked.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling that we're about to find out." Chad said. Just then, Ryan opened the door without being invited in and walked into the living room.

"Hey guys, what's up? Have any of you seen the Bolton's anywhere? I needed to talk to them about something." He said.

"What makes you think we're going to tell you?" Chad snapped.

"This." He said and pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at Taylor. "If you don't tell me where they are, I'll shoot your wife."

The couple's faces drained all its color, their eyes darting toward the small but lethal contraption in the blonde boy's hand as they clung onto each other for dear life, Chad stepping up in front of Taylor and raising his hand in defense.

"Hold on there, man," He said. "Why are you doing this? Man, you weren't like this before… what happened?"

Ryan smirked. "What happened?" He menaced. "Bolton happened. Yep. That summer held so many memories. He didn't care about Gabriella; he hurt her! And while he was so absorbed in all the fame he'd been getting, I was there for her! And yet, he chose that--"

"Whoa, hold on there… who Gabby loves is her choice, not yours. I mean, if you really like her, why don't you just be happy for her? Instead of standing here, acting like a total lunatic and endangering everybody's lives!" Chad put in.

"You know, Chad… you have a point," Ryan inclined, looking to his side and bringing his hand down. With that simple gesture, Chad and Taylor breathed sighs of relief and waited for his next move, thinking that he'd finally come to his senses, apologize, and move on. But they were wrong. Dead wrong.

"But that's not enough," With one swift move, Ryan launched himself behind Taylor and locked her neck around his arm, pushing his gun on her temple.

Taylor tried her hardest to get free from his grasp as she choked on air but found it utterly hard as he kept tightening his grip on her with each false move she makes. "Now tell me where they are and nobody gets hurt."

Chad, not knowing what to do, inwardly panicked and blurted out, "They're on their way to San Diego in Gabriella's Mom's house!" As soon as those words came out of his mouth, his hand flew to his mouth as Ryan smirked and let go of Taylor. Dropping to the ground, Taylor gasped for breath and grasped her neck, simultaneously choking on air.

"Ryan, please… don't--" Sharpay tried, only to be pushed harshly to the ground.

A door was heard slamming throughout the household as Chad ran over to his wife and picked her up, rubbing her back. "Tay, you okay?"

With one more gasp, Taylor raised her head and glared at her husband. "What the hell were you _thinking_?!" She wailed.

"I-I-Well, I don't know! I didn't know what to do! He was going to kill you! It just… slipped out!"

"Slipped out?! Who knows what's going to happen to Troy, Gabriella and Jen once he finds them?!"

Sharpay stood up from the ground and helped Taylor off the ground, saying, "We can do this later. Right now, we gotta get to San Diego; and fast."

**WITH TROY, GABRIELLA AND JEN**

"When is this going to end?" Jen asked from out of the blue as Troy pulled out in the Montez driveway.

Getting out of the car, Gabriella walked over to the backseat and helped her daughter out. "Soon enough, Jen. Don't worry. It'll end soon. Okay?" She attempted a smile, pushing a stray lock of her hair beneath her ears.

With a sigh, Jen nodded. "Okay…"

Troy smiled at the sight of his wife and daughter before turning to the front door and ringing the doorbell. The door opened and out came Gabriella's mother, smiling at them. Her smile soon dropped when she took notice of the distressed look on their faces and the numerous bruises on Jen's part.

"Oh, my Lord… I expected something bad but… not like _this_… hurry, get inside." She said, opening the door wider for them to come in.

A few minutes later, the Bolton family – minus Jen – who was sitting inside the house, letting her bruises heal - and Gabriella's mom were sitting in the picnic table in the Montez backyard, silence clouding over the whole situation until Maria decided to break the ice.

"Well, I'm going to get you something to eat," She said. "Are you sure you don't want to come inside?"

"No, Mom, we'll be fine here. We could use some fresh air. Thanks anyway." Gabriella smiled as they watched Maria disappear through the door.

As soon as she was out of sight, Troy sighed, running a hand through his sandy-brown hair. "Man… this is so messed up…"

"I know…" Gabriella's soft voice sounded. "I'm sorry, Troy…"

Hearing his wife's sudden apology, Troy lifted his head to look at her as his eyes immediately filled with worry, seeing tears building up in her eyes. He stood up and took the spot next to her, wrapping his arms around her small frame as she leaned into his touch and let the tears flow down her delicate face.

"Hey, hey… what are you saying sorry for?"

"This is all my fault…" Gabriella cried. "Ryan's only doing this because of me! And now, you and Jen and everybody else are a part of this, too! You don't deserve any of this!"

"No, no, don't say that. This isn't your fault. Okay?" Troy told her, lifting her chin up to look into her chocolate brown orbs. "I mean… who knew the guy would go as far as this just to get what he wants? Talk about spoiled…" He said, trying to lighten up the mood.

"But…"

"No, buts. I love you and our daughter and there's nothing that lunatic can do to change that. Okay?"

And for the first time since their lives were turned upside down, Gabriella smiled. A real smile. "Okay… I love you too, Troy… thank you…" She snuggled closer to him as he planted a soft kiss on her head.

But… their little moment was ruined when a familiarly menacing voice rang through their ears…

"Aww… isn't that sweet?"

**WITH CHAD, TAYLOR AND SHARPAY**

"Where are we?!" Taylor demanded at the driving blonde. "We have to get there _now_!"

"Well it's not my fault traffic in San Diego totally sucks!" Sharpay replied, keeping her eyes on the road. "Anyway, we're almost there, so don't worry."

"Yeah… they're gonna be fine, Tay. I know them." Chad reassured her, all the while reassuring himself.

Minutes later, they arrived in front of the Montez household and spotted Troy's car resting in the driveway. They ran up to the porch and was about to ring the doorbell when they heard an ear-splitting gunshot ring through the entire neighbourhood.

Their faces paled, trying their best not to expect the worse as they followed the origin of the sound and walked around the back. Their heads poked through the trees as their eyes widened and they gasped at the sight in front of them…


	11. Chapter 11

This wasn't right. This wasn't part of the plan. This wasn't supposed to happen. Finding his throat dry, Ryan Evans gulped, his hand trembling as he lost feeling and dropped the lethal contraption. His knees buckled and soon enough, he was on the ground, his head in his hands, torturous regret stabbing his heart over and over again as he let out guttural cries.

Everybody stared in astonishment and grief, frozen on the lonely parchment of the Montez household. The collision of the events that had occurred during the past month all aggregating into one as their eyes filled with tears they never knew held so much sorrow and despair.

Troy Bolton felt an enormous lump grow in his throat as he watched his other half sacrifice her life for his own. She'd saved his life. She's sacrificed her life to spare him another chance of living. She's taken the bullet. The bullet that was supposed to be for him to take. Not hers. He'd never thought a feeling of such continuous pain growing in the pit of his stomach, colliding with his now shattering heart had ever existed. Until now…

Letting out a whimper of pure distress, Gabriella felt the bullet sink deep into her chest as she closed her eyes and waited for the impact with the cold, solid ground. But it never came. Instead, she felt two strong, familiar arms encase her before it happened.

"Gabby?" His voice was hoarse and full of agony.

She opened her eyes and her brown orbs came in contact with his icy-blue ones. "Hi…" She said.

"Mom!" The hysterical cry of Jen Bolton rang through their ears as they watched her hastily make her way toward her parents along with Maria.

"Hey, Jen…" Gabriella forced a smile.

"Mom…"

Gabriella winced, squeezing her eyes shut and opening them once again. "If I don't make it through this… I want you to be a big girl and take care of daddy for me, okay?"

"No, don't say that…" Troy inclined, tears streaming down his face as he squeezed her small hands and looked down at her. "You're going to make it. You're strong. You're not going to… to…" He couldn't bring himself to say it.

Gabriella smiled, closing her eyes as her world started to slip away.

"Troy! Gabby!" Sharpay's cry sounded as she and Taylor started making their way toward them.

Chad, on the other hand, was making his way toward the blonde culprit, his fists clenched in a ball as he picked him up by the collar and looked deep into his eyes, his own filled with anger and rage.

"You… you have to go through all this just to get what you want?!" His voice shook as Ryan coughed. "Now look what you just did! Why are you doing this?! Does it make you feel better?! Does it make you feel like a man?! If that's what you think, then you're wrong! None of this is going to help you!"

"Quick, we have to get her to the hospital!" Taylor appointed.

In one swift motion, Troy stood up on his feet and made his way to his car with Gabriella in his arms, the others following behind. Except for Chad, who was still taking his anger out on Ryan.

"Chad, come on! We gotta go!" Sharpay called.

With one more glare, Chad harshly dropped Ryan to the ground and followed along. He suddenly stopped and turned back to Ryan, and spoke, his voice in a dangerously low tone. "If someone's supposed to die here, it's you. Not Gabriella. It's not your life to take."

**At the Hospital**

"MY WIFE NEEDS A DOCTOR! SHE WAS SHOT!" Troy yelled as he ran into the hospital with Gabriella still in his arms.

The whole car ride there was filled with him repeating, _"Just hold on baby, you have to live. You're going to be okay." _Then he soon realized he was trying to convince himself of that too. Chad had drove his car while he was in the back with Gabriella, and he felt that he wasn't driving fast enough. Sharpay, Taylor, and Jen had all rode in Sharpay's car.

A nurse saw and heard him and ran up to him and an unconscious Gabriella. "Follow me and we'll help your wife."

They went through the hospital until they met up with a few other doctors and nurses that were coming towards them with a stretcher so they could take Gabriella back to the operating room. He laid her on the bed as a tear fell from his eye.

"Is she going to be okay?" He managed to get out without completely collapsing on the floor sobbing.

"We're going to try our best," She answered, trying to smile for this man who was scared to lose his wife. "Just go sit in the waiting room and we'll come and get you when we're done."

He nodded in response. He started towards the waiting without another word. He was too absorbed in his thoughts. When he got to the waiting room, he saw Jen, Chad, Taylor, and Sharpay sitting there with worried expressions. Maria had stayed behind to explain everything that she knew of the situation to the police after she had called 911.

Jen was the first to notice her father walking towards them. Without hesitation, she got up out of her seat and ran towards him, clinging onto him like if she didn't, he would get hurt too. She sobbed into his chest, not caring if people were staring at them or giving them sympathetic looks.

"Shh…she's going to be okay, baby girl…she's going to be fine…" Troy whispered into her ear as he hugged her back and shed a few tears himself. He started leading her towards where everyone else was sitting.

"How is she?" Taylor asked worriedly.

"She was unconscious when I left, but she still had a pulse." He answered.

Sharpay stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, Troy, I'm so sorry everything happened. I never knew that he would intend to shoot anybody, and I just can't help from feeling guilty that it happened. If I would have known-"

"Shar," He interrupted with a slight smile on his face. "It's okay. It's not your fault; it's Ryan's. Don't worry about it."

Jen suddenly winced as the scar on the side of her face touched Troy's shirt. Troy looked at her concerned, and saw a scar that ran along the right side of her face.

"Jen, when did this happen?!" He asked, turning her head so he could get a better look at it.

"I don't know; probably at Ryan's when he started punching and kicking me." She answered.

"Come on, I'm getting it checked out. It looks pretty deep." He said as they started walking towards the desk.

"Dad, I'm fine. You should be over there waiting for any news on mom," She protested and tried to wiggle out of the grip he had on her wrist.

He tightened his grip, but not so tight that it would hurt her. "No, we're getting you checked out first. The surgery might take a while, so we have plenty of time." He replied. "I'm just being a concerned father. Can you really blame me?"

"I guess not," She said and smiled as they got to the desk and Troy began to fill out the health forms for her.

**With Chad, Taylor, and Sharpay**

"I can't believe he would do something like this," Taylor said when Troy and Jen left.

"Nobody can, Tay," Chad replied and held her hand. "I guess he did it so neither him or Troy could have her."

"Do you think she's going to make it?" Sharpay whispered so Chad and Taylor couldn't hear her, but Chad did.

"How could you say something like that?! Of course she's going to make it! Do you think she would really leave Troy and Jen behind?!" He exclaimed. "She's a fighter. She's going to make it."

"I agree with Chad. Gabby is definitely a fighter. That's why she was on the debate team back in high school." Taylor put in, trying to lift their worries.

They sat in a semi-comfortable silence until Sharpay spoke up again.

"Where did Troy take Jen?" She asked.

"He was concerned about the scar on the side of her head, so they went to get it checked out." Taylor answered.

Sharpay nodded and began to read a magazine that was on the table next to her. Then she spotted an interesting article on the latest news in Hollywood.

"Oh my gosh, you have to look at this!" She squealed and went over to sit by Taylor as they began looking at the magazine.

Chad sat there and shook his head. "Women."

**With Troy and Jen**

"Well, it is a pretty deep scar, and she might need a few stitches. Otherwise, it's fine." The doctor announced after taking a good look at it.

Both Troy and Jen sighed in relief. "That's great news. Are you going to do the stitches now?" Troy asked.

"Yes, I'll be doing them. I just need to go get something and I'll be right back to do them." He said and left the room.

"See dad, I told you it was fine. You should listen to me more often," She giggled and poked him in the shoulder.

"Isn't it the other way around? You should be listening to me more often, missy." He said jokingly.

"I listen to you. It's just I listen to mom more often." She defended.

"I don't blame you; your mom is a very smart person," Troy said and they fell into a comfortable silence and waited for the doctor to come back.

"Is she going to make it?" Jen asked, breaking the silence.

"Of course she is, Jen. Your mom is the strongest person I know. She's going to be fine," Troy assured.

She smiled and hugged him. "I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, sweetheart," He said just as the doctor came back in.

--

After he was done putting the stitches in, Troy and Jen were walking back to the waiting room. They got back and saw Chad, Taylor, and Sharpay still sitting there. The girls were still looking at their magazine and Chad was reading a sports magazine.

"Hey guys," Troy greeted as he and Jen sat down with Troy next to Chad and Jen on Troy's right side. "Did anybody come out and tell you guys any updates?"

Before any of them could answer, Gabriella's doctor walked out. "Gabriella Bolton?"

In the blink of an eye, everyone was gathered around the doctor.

"What's wrong? How is she?" Troy asked.

"Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that she is alive and we removed the bullet successfully." Everyone let out a breath that none of them knew they were holding. "The bad news is that she slipped into a coma after the surgery. And Mr. Bolton, I'm so sorry to say this, but she lost the baby."

* * *

**A/N: hsmgal142/Abbey here! Anyways, pretty intense chapter, huh? But Angela did an amazing job on the beginning of the chapter! So, review! I hope you all liked it! And isn't that a BIG shocker at the end? I thought so! LOL**


	12. Chapter 12

_Previously on: "__**The Jealous Type"**_

"_Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that she is alive and we removed the bullet successfully." Everyone let out a breath that none of them knew they were holding. "The bad news is that she slipped into a coma after the surgery. And Mr. Bolton, I'm so sorry to say this, but she lost the baby."_

**Chapter 12**

Troy Bolton was deranged. What baby? As soon as those words had left the doctor's lips, Troy felt like a ton of 1000-pound bricks were crashing down on him. His mind fell into a deep maelstrom of confusion and worry, his thoughts isolated in a series of enigmas so strong that he'd felt as if his head was going to constrict and explode right before him. His hand shook, trembling as he found his forehead rapidly condensing.

He gulped, opening his mouth before stuttering out his words. "B-B-Baby?"

The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Bolton," he said. "We tried the best we can, but given the circumstances… I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do."

Silence was all that could be heard throughout the empty corridors of the hospital as everyone turned to look at Troy who began to shuffle uncomfortably on his foot before sitting on one of lonely chairs and letting out a shaky breath. His mind wandered in loopy circles as he felt his heart shattering and his dull blue eyes welling up with unshed tears. The love of his life was carrying a baby, _his _baby, and he didn't know about it? Part of him wanted nothing but for the ground to swallow him whole for not being able to prevent this from happening, but part of him was still left in the bridge of confusion as to why Gabriella hadn't told him. Maybe she wanted to keep it a surprise? Maybe… but if she was, it could no longer be called a surprise, but more like pure and utter horror.

Unanswered questions began to fill his mind as his friends stared at him, seemingly waiting for him to do or say anything that would give them even the slightest of hints on what his painfully emotionless face was trying to say. Closing his eyes and letting his elbows rest on his knees, he buried his face in his hands and found his vision starting to blur into darkness. Tears were threatening to stream from his eyes, wanting to let out traces of hurt, agony, confusion and sorrow. His breath hitched in his throat. The most vulnerable side of Troy Bolton was coming. But he wasn't about to let anyone, especially his 13-year-old daughter see that. He needed to be strong.

"Can I see her?" His voice was hoarse and barely audible, as he himself was surprised to find it slightly coherent for the doctor to hear.

"Yes," came the doctor's reply. "She's in room 348."

The doctor gave him a sympathetic smile and spoke, "I'm terribly sorry about this," he said. "I have to take care of some of her medical records. I'll come by later to check on her."

Troy nodded, standing up and reaching for his daughter's hand before starting to make his way down the corridor, the others following closely behind. Each and every one of them had questions desperately needing answers but no one dared to speak. They'd leave everything for later.

The door squeaked open, revealing an unconscious Gabriella Bolton lying restlessly on the dreadful hospital bed, all kinds of machines and contraptions attached to her limp body. Troy's breath got hitched in his throat, seeing his normally energetic wife in such a case. It pained him to see her like this. Limp, restless, and weak… but he knew it would pain him more once she finds out about their baby.

Quietly, he made his way over to her, sitting on the chair that was sitting beside the bed. He hesitatingly reached out for her hand and squeezed it gently, waiting for the same gesture from her to tell him she was okay.

"Mom?" The tearful voice of Jen filled their ears as she watched the small girl sniffle, waiting for her mother to open her eyes and give her their usual mother-daughter hug she'd been longing for.

Alas, they watched as her eyelids fluttered open and exposed those familiarly sweet brown eyes. Everyone stood up from their seats, and began crowding around her.

**Gabriella's POV**

Consciousness. That was the one thing I needed to regain as soon as I felt a soft familiar hand encase my own, followed by the angelic voice of my daughter. I didn't remember anything at the time. Maybe it was because of all the machines strapped onto me… I wasn't sure. But one thing I'm sure of is that I have to regain consciousness if I want to see my family and friends again.

And as if the heavens had heard my prayer, I slowly began opening my eyes. My vision was met by the blinding light of the hospital room, and I turned to see everyone looking at me with relief in their eyes. I smiled… I turned to my right and saw the two most important people in my life. Big mistake. As soon as I did, I felt a stinging pain in most parts of my body and squeezed my eyes shut.

**Nobody's POV**

"Gabby?" Troy's voice quickly filled with panic once he saw his wife hiss out a breath and squeeze her eyes shut.

"Mom, you okay?" Jen's voice followed.

Gabriella let herself adjust to the pain, waiting for it to subside, before opening her eyes again and seeing her family's faces. She then felt her eyes fill with tears as she looked from Troy and to Jen. She was finally where she belonged.

"Hey…" She managed to breathe out.

They all smiled and Jen contemplated on whether or not it was safe for her to envelope her mother in a hug or not. Gabriella noticed this and smiled, "What?"

Jen looked up at her mother's brown eyes and opened her mouth, "Err… can I hug you?"

Gabriella let out a faint giggle. Same old Jen.

She opened her arms out as wide as she could, which, in this case, wasn't very wide at all, and felt her daughter crawl to her arms. As soon as she did, wonderful memories of when Jen was only a helpless little child clouded her mind and she smiled. It felt good.

"I missed you, Mom…"

"I missed you too, sweetie…"

They pulled back and smiled longingly at each other.

"Gabby, we're really glad you're okay." Came Taylor's voice, and the others nodded along.

Gabriella smiled. "Thanks. I'm glad I'm okay too."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Sharpay chirped.

"Really?" joked Chad. "Are you sure it's not too much work for you?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Oh, haha, funny." The smile on her face soon dropped and was quickly replaced by anger and rage.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

Everyone's head turned towards the door, and they saw the one and only Ryan Evans standing there with a guilty and somewhat angry look on his face. Troy immediately pushed Jen behind him and Chad stepped in front of Taylor. Gabriella lay on the bed, eyes wide open with shock, and both Taylor and Sharpay just stood there, waiting to see what would happen next.

Ryan's body looked a bit paler than usual, and his eyes were dark and filled with guilt, sorrow, and even a bit of anger. His shirt and jeans were dirty and even a few spots of blood here and there, but not a lot of it was noticeable. He looked around the room, and his eyes finally landed on Gabriella.

"Oh Gabriella, I'm so glad that you're okay," He started to walk towards the bed, and that meant where Troy and Jen were also.

Troy put his left arm out in front of him and the other behind him where Jen was, trying to protect her from Ryan. "Evans, stay away from her! It's your fault that she's here! Leave and don't come back!" He shouted in anger.

Ryan shifted his gaze from Gabriella to Troy. "My fault? It's not my fault that she was stupid enough to jump in front of you so you didn't get hurt. I don't know why she would save a piece of garbage like you!"

Troy's fist tightened. "Well, I know for sure she wouldn't have jumped in front of you."

"Care to say that again, Bolton?" Ryan asked and pulled the gun again. Everyone gasped in shock and a bit of annoyance because he had a gun _again_. "I'm not afraid to shoot you. That was my intention the first time, but she got in the way," He glared at Gabriella before looking at Troy again. "But now, I have another opportunity."

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Chad spoke up. "Dude, why would you shoot somebody in a hospital? If you did, the doctors could just come up immediately and then save him."

Everyone looked at Chad. Was he suggesting they go somewhere else and have Troy get shot or was he actually making sense?

"You know, he does make a good point," Ryan contemplated. "But I think I'd rather just stick to my plan."

Jen's grip on her father's shirt tightened in fear. She couldn't have both of her parents shot! It was bad enough that her mom lost the baby. That was her little brother or sister that she could play with and help out with. But before she could react or do anything, the lights in the room suddenly went out. She couldn't see a thing, so she gripped onto Troy even tighter. She felt him put his hand on her side to make sure she was still there and okay. Then, suddenly, she felt a cold hand grab her arm and pull her away from Troy.

When Troy felt Jen being pulled away from him, he turned to his sides, trying to see if he could see her anywhere. Suddenly, the lights came back on and he looked at the doorway. Ryan had Jen in a head lock with the gun up to her temple. Everyone's eyes went wide in fear.

"One wrong move and a bullet goes through her head," he growled and tightened his grip on her neck. "Or I could just suffocate her. You're pick."

Troy's face went red with anger. "Ryan, what do you want? You already almost killed Gabby and you killed my child!"

"What?" Gabriella questioned from the bed in shock. "Troy, what do you mean?"

"Brie, I don't know how to say this, but you were pregnant. When he shot you, you lost the baby." He said and glared harder at Ryan, if that was even possible.

"Well, maybe it was a good thing she took the bullet," Ryan thought aloud, just hearing the news.

That got Troy fuming mad. He went to go punch the living daylights out of him, but Ryan again tightened his grip and Jen whimpered. "Uh-uh, Bolton. If you do anything to me, you might as well say goodbye to miss Jennifer here. That would mean you lost two children on the same day! What a shame. And then to think that you were the cause of both deaths. That's even worse."

He was about to lunge at him, but Chad put his arm in front of him. "Dude, don't do anything stupid!" He whispered harshly.

Troy was about to reply, but the door suddenly slammed open and there was a gunshot that echoed throughout the entire hospital, and Ryan and Jen fell down onto the floor, blood splattering everywhere.

* * *

**Abbey A/N: Sorry for the wait…both me and Angela have been loaded with homework…lol so yeah it's been crazy. I hope you guys liked it! : ) **


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